Something ocurred to me this morning, that made me stop and think. I was feeding my dogs , a twice daily event that, in our multi dog household, takes on circus- like qualities. As I prepared the food dishes, Darla, my tempramental tibetan terrier, led the canine chorus with a shrill, piercing bark that I’m sure my neighbors have come to know and hate. Amidst the din, it registered, that, as often is the case, my unflappable shih tzu Leilani, and her (MUCH less unflappable son), Landon, rode out the storm, calmly laying on their beds chewing on their nylabones.
This made me think about the way dogs (and people) react differently to the same events. Dog feeding time at our house is a highly anticipated event that brackets my dog’s days. Darla is clearly both stressed and excited by the prospect of eating. (My dogs are fed seperately, so its not obvious food competition issues at work here). I think its more basic personality and coping strategies: Darla is so excited at the prospect of food that she works herself into a frenzy. On the other hand, Leilani takes the approach that the food will come, and she may as well be comfortable while she waits.
Landon is the odd dog out in this equation. He does not have the calm temprament of his mom, he’s a big boy with strong leadership qualities, and you would not describe him as laid back. So I wonder….is this a learned behaviour, or is it those calm genes of his mother popping through? Probably some combination of both, I suspect.
There is something here that struck a chord with me, especially in this bleak economic climate, where EVERYONE is stressed. We have a choice…..when faced with a potentially stressful situation, we can react anxiously like Darla, or we can hang out and wait for a resolution like Leilani. I’m wandering into anthropomorphism land here, I like to think that Landon given a choice, chose to relax with a nylabone , following the lead of his mom . (Maybe nylabones and a glass of say, merlot have more in common then you’d think?)
Without conscious intervention, my instinctual response to stress is definitely Darla -like. I aspire to, but will probably never achieve a laid back attitude like Leilani has. At the end of the day, like Landon, I’m somewhere in between.
